a DVD with LJ teaching all the songs on WOODEN HORSES and accompanied by transcriptions in both standard notation and Tablature done by LJ himself is available to order and IS IN STOCK! See the DVD section or DVD section in the Laurence Juber page!!

WOODEN HORSES is an all new collection of 14 solo guitar instrumentals by Laurence Juber and is loaded with his unique melodic and groovin' compositions!

LJ is also wrapping up the transcriptions for all these songs which will be available later in the fall with an accompanying DVD full of his thoughts on the songs and how to best perform them!

and now the songs and song notes by LJ himself!

1 :: Enough Is Never Enough ::: Enough said….dadgad
2 :: Guitar Noir ::: Perhaps should be ‘Guitarra Negra’, as the dark harmonies are overlaid on a Latin groove. First appeared as an ensemble tune on the DVD of the same name. CGDGAD
3 :: The Crow’s Nest ::: A solo version of a composition from the Magellan Suite written in 2000. Reflects a nautical theme. dadgad
4 :: Maple Avenue Strut ::: Jazz on a maple guitar – images of tuxedos and high-kicking chorus girls from the 1930s. Standard tuning
5 :: The Ornament Waltz ::: I rarely write tunes in waltz feel. This one feels like a theme to one of Hope’s movie scripts. dadgad
6 :: Rufus ::: One of the Juber menagerie - something of a King Charles Spaniel mix. A very good boy. dadgad
7 :: Highway 17 ::: The winding road from San Jose to Santa Cruz California – always an exciting drive. Standard tuning
8 :: Being Here With You ::: Adding some romance to the collection. Standard tuning
9 :: Wooden Horses ::: A carousel-like ragtime excursion with plenty of fun key changes. Standard tuning
10 :: Double Agent ::: Started life as duet called ‘Private Dick’. Revisited here as a solo, it draws inspiration from cold-war era twisted spy tales. Standard tuning
11 :: Shebeg & Shemore ::: Composed by the Irish Baroque harpist O’Carolan. It tells of a famous battle that took place between the two hills named in the title. I picture the scene early on a foggy morning with a single soldier playing the plaintive melody on a tin whistle. dadgad
12 :: Around the Block ::: Walking the dogs is our mutual meditation. The rolling groove is courtesy of Juno. Standard tuning
13 :: Portobello Road ::: The area of West London that is home to a vibrant street market. It’s a little bittersweet, as I have fond memories of living there for a while in the late 70s while I was in Wings. I left it behind when I moved to New York and met Hope. dadgad
14 :: Green Room Blues ::: A spontaneous 12 bar – live bonus. Standard tuning
...from the upcoming LIVE DVD!!!

more from LJ...

Wooden Horses

The title has a double meaning. The tune itself is a ragtime bit that took on the character of carousel music and developed into
a fun, fingerstyle romp. The other perspective is that of my guitars as workhorses. Having the luxury of an extended recording process allowed me to choose the most appropriate conveyance for my musical journey.

In the evolution of my solo career, I have attempted to keep a balance between arranging familiar tunes and composing original material. "Wooden Horses" is trend to the latter and emerged from a period of quite intense creative activity. A stage musical and a video game score took me away from the guitar and allowed me to work with the orchestral and vocal resources that periodically are at my compositional disposal.

In regard to my previous two releases: The original compositions on "PCH" were a mixture of 'hot from the fretboard' tunes and a few that that been without a home for a few years. Arranging the songs for the "Pop Goes Guitar" collection was, for the most part, an attempt to translate some iconic pop records to the guitar without much 'interpretation'.

By comparison, working on "Wooden Horses" allowed me a solid period of focus to craft a collection of guitar tunes that could reflect not only my desire to wrap my hands around some new repertoire, but also an opportunity to apply some of the musical experiences I've had since my last collection of original solos "Guitarist" in 2003.

MINOR 7th. COM

Laurence Juber, "Wooden Horses," Solid Air Records, 2009

Few followers of modern acoustic fingerstyle guitar music remain ignorant of Laurence Juber’s amazing playing.
The two-time GRAMMY winner is best known for his use of DADGAD tuning, and on "Wooden Horses" uses it to good
effect, but half of the songs are in standard tuning, allowing Juber to explore other sonic pathways. Several
songs, like "Guitar Noir", appear earlier in his discography, but their inclusion on "Wooden Horses" is welcome
nonetheless. As with every Juber recording, the playing is tantalizing with his signature hooks and chord
voicings. But there is another dimension on this CD that seems fresh and new, as on "The Crow’s Nest," a lovely
re-working for solo guitar of his "Magellan Suite" from 2000. The romantic "Being Here With You" sounds like
something he would play seated across from his wife Hope on a quiet afternoon, life partners locked in a visual
and aural embrace. Stylistically, Juber roams all over the map, from the swingin’ "Maple Avenue Strut", to the
delicate "The Ornament Waltz", to the O’Carolan standard "Sheebag & Sheemor", to the title track, where he gets
into a ragtime spirit. Perhaps my favorite tune on the CD is "Rufus", equal parts playful and dark, layered over
an infectious bass groove. What "Wooden Horses" shows above all else is a player who can do it all with equal
power, prowess, and grace. Laurence Juber is a guitarist in full command of the fingerboard. After a dozen
acoustic offerings, Juber’s music never ceases to inspire.

In his latest release, versatile fingerstylist Laurence
Juber shows again that he’s equally capable of nailing rapid-fire runs
in an up-tempo number (“Enough Is Never Enough”), creating a reflective
mood (“Guitar Noir”), essaying a jazzy rag (“Maple Avenue Strut” and the
title track), firing off a tasty blues (“Green Room Blues,” a bonus
live track), or laying bare his heart in romantic, Bensusan-esque tunes
(“The Ornament Waltz,” “Being Here with You”)—and he’s also equally
adept in standard tuning, D A D G A D, and C G D G A D. The best and
most vivid of the album’s numbers—such as “Highway 17” (a paean to the
winding highway connecting San Jose and Santa Cruz, California) and the
only nonoriginal composition here, “Shebeg and Shemore” (by the
18th-century Irish harpist Turlough O’Carolan)—display not only Juber’s
erudition and technical prowess but also his gift for instrumental
storytelling. On the companion DVD (which includes printable
transcriptions), Juber devotes 90 minutes to breaking down each song,
but not bar for bar; rather, he explicates the most notable or
challenging passages in each and shares a bit of his philosophy of
playing. It’s meaty, advanced stuff that will be beyond the ken of
anyone not comfortable slinging G#m7b5 or Cadd9#11 chords, but it’s
worthwhile viewing: even we duffers can learn something from such an
up-close look at a master. (Solid Air Records, SolidAirRecords.com)